Guitar picks are typically small, flat apparatuses that are triangular shaped with rounded edges. The pick can be used to pluck or strum stringed musical instruments such as guitars. Use of a guitar pick can help generate a higher quality sound and improve the ability of a musician to strike large chords. A pick is generally made of a rigid material such as metal or plastic and is lightweight and may vary in thickness based on the desired sound quality.
Conventionally, picks have been designed for placement between a user's thumb and one or more fingers to assist while playing instruments such as the guitar. Drawbacks of this technique, however, include difficulty of maintaining a fixed position and proper control of the pick and proper tension on the pick while playing an instrument. For example, if the pick is held too loosely, it could cause the pick to shift in the musician's fingers, affecting the ability of the musician to retain a proper grip on the pick. Conversely, holding the pick too tightly can interfere with the play of the instrument by distorting the sound. Sound quality can also be negatively impacted if the pick is not held at a proper 90-degree angle to the strings.
Mounting apparatuses such as rings or band-like structures have been designed to secure a guitar pick onto a user's finger or thumb. Such designs, however, are directed towards preventing accidental dropping of a guitar pick and/or providing a user with the ability to interchangeably alternate between the use of a user's finger and a guitar pick to strum or pluck instrument strings.
Designs for guitar aids that are used to assist with proper pick angle and placement for enhanced sound quality are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,240,167, invented by the inventor of the present application, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent includes both a guitar aid designed to removably receive a pick and a unitarily formed pick and ring combination.